NAIROBI, Aug. 17 — Kenya-China vocational education cooperation has evolved into a “strategic and long-term partnership” that is driving the African country’s industrialization and strengthening its technical workforce, a senior official has said.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, Esther Thaara Muoria, principal secretary of the State Department for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Kenya’s Ministry of Education, noted that the state-of-the-art equipment supplied by China enables trainees to practice with technologies widely used in modern local and international industries.
Launched in 2010, the Kenya-China TVET project has now entered its third phase. About 70 TVET institutions across eight disciplines are expected to receive equipment, with 1,190 trainers and technicians to receive training in Kenya and China.
The training of 1,190 trainers and technicians will ensure effective and sustainable equipment operation while upgrading instructors’ expertise in maintenance and contemporary training methodologies, according to Muoria.
Besides, an innovation center will be established at Kabete National Polytechnic, serving as a hub for training, production, innovation, and technology transfer.
Through these measures, the project directly aligns with Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda by supporting broader industrialization, infrastructure development, digital transformation, and the cultivation of a competent technical workforce, Muoria said.
“Overall, the cooperation has progressed from simply providing equipment to a more comprehensive model that combines infrastructure, modern equipment, human resource development, technology transfer, innovation and institutional capacity building,” she said, adding that this makes the partnership highly relevant to Kenya’s industrialization and skills-development agenda.
Muoria said the partnership significantly boosts employment and self-employment prospects for Kenyan youth by raising TVET training quality and bridging classroom instruction with market demand.
Graduates equipped with practical skills are increasingly finding employment in manufacturing, engineering, energy, transport, and renewable energy, working alongside professionals on local infrastructure projects and with Chinese enterprises operating in Kenya, she added.
She noted that these industry-relevant skills also enhance graduates’ competitiveness in international labor markets, adding that practical experience gained through income-generating activities at training institutions and structured dual-training programs helps trainees turn their technical skills into viable businesses.
Cooperation with China can play a greater role in helping Kenya prepare its workforce for the next wave of industrial transformation, Muoria said. “There is considerable potential for expanding Kenya-China cooperation into emerging technologies that are shaping the future of work and industry.”
According to Muoria, priority areas for future cooperation include artificial intelligence, intelligent manufacturing, the digital economy, new energy and green technologies, as well as entrepreneurship. The innovation center at Kabete National Polytechnic will provide an important platform for advancing these areas.
Reflecting on the deeper significance of the partnership, Muoria highlighted that China’s philosophy of “to give people fish and you only provide them with one meal; to teach them to fish and they can benefit throughout their lives” accurately captures the essence of the bilateral TVET cooperation.
“The value of this cooperation goes beyond providing equipment; it is about building the skills, knowledge, confidence and entrepreneurial capacity that enable Kenyans to create sustainable livelihoods and contribute to the country’s industrial development,” she said.
Muoria added that the ultimate achievement of the partnership lies in establishing a self-sustaining skills ecosystem in Kenya that can continuously produce skilled workers and foster innovation long into the future. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
